I believe that most people harbor myths and misconceptions about the vegetarian or vegan diets. Such untruths are often planted as a seed in young children. "You need beef for protein" and "You need milk for calcium, so drink as much as you want" are words that I still hear parents espousing to their children, and it makes my skin crawl. One would wonder how anyone moves toward a healthy diet. Usually a heart attack, cancer, or a cholesterol level that would sink a ship is the force behind a person's decision to go vegetarian or vegan.
There is a fast growing group of people becoming vegetarians and vegan. And, they are not those whose arteries are dangerously hardened, or those who have survived a stroke. They are teenagers. People aged 12 and up are the largest growing group of vegetarian and vegan converts.
The following are comments that I've heard parents and caregivers say to young people who have announced, "I am a vegetarian" or "I am a vegan."
- It's going to stunt your growth.
- Not under my roof!
- It's a fad, you'll get over it in a few months.
- You wouldn't get enough protein, you'll be sick all the time.
- You're not going to get enough iron.
- Your bones won't grow if you don't drink milk.
- B12 deficiencies will make you go blind.
- Don't you appreciate my cooking?
- You'll make Mom/Dad/Grandma/Aunt Sally feel bad.
Let's dispel some of these myths. First of all, a vegetarian or vegan diet has never stunted anyone's growth. Lest a person eat only flowers and cardboard, it is impossible to stunt growth with a well-balanced plant based diet. Problems with growth result from starvation, not plant based diets.
"Not under my roof" reflects more of a control issue than a nutritional one. You must sit down with your child, read the literature, and speak to your child's pediatrician. Putting one's foot down and making unreasonable demands helps no one. Look at what happened to Romeo and Juliet when they were torn between parents who disregarded the feelings and beliefs of the two teenagers.
"It's a fad. It will pass." If your teenager came to you and said that she/he wanted to go to college, would you dismiss such a goal as a fad or would you support it? In our society a college education is most certainly needed to procure employment, enhance critical thinking skills, and to teach young people to strive. It's a life long investment. A vegetarian or vegan diet is also a life long investment, and one with healthy benefits. One of the most important aspects of parenting is the instillation of good eating habits. The vegetarian or vegan youth is putting those lessons into motion.
The rampant protein myth. Our society has inflated ideas about the amounts of proteins a person should take in on a daily basis, as well as where that protein is supposed to come from. In developed countries, most meat eaters overdose on protein. Meat eaters gobble up protein from dairy, meat, and vegetables. Likewise, many vegetarians can take in too much protein. Too much protein in one's diet is linked to cancer, osteoporosis, and many other diseases and disorders. A vegetarian or vegan person gets all of her/his necessary protein from plant foods. Vegetarians who eat consume large amounts of beans, nuts, and corn may be getting too much protein.
The best way to ensure that one is getting the recommended protein (and not overdoing it) is to eat a variety of foods. A vegetarian or vegan diet should include several varieties of beans, legumes, fruits, leafy green vegetables, seeded vegetables, grains, and plenty of fluids. A parent should be more concerned with a vegetarian or vegan teenager consuming too much protein than not consuming enough.
Banish the iron myth. Many plant foods contain iron. Just a few are included below:
1 cup of cooked Lentils, 6.6 mg
1/2 cup of Tempeh, 1.9 mg
1/2 Raisins, 1.6 mg
1 cup cooked Spinach, 3.2 mg
1 cup cooked Black Beans, 3.6 mg
Remember Popeye the Spinach eating sailor? He was getting plenty of iron by eating those cans of Spinach!
The calcium myth goes on and on. Those commercials on television would all like for us think our teeth will fall out and our bones will snap if we don't consume dairy products. Calcium is just one component to building strong healthy teeth and bones. Equally important are: (1) Vitamin D, you absorb this vitamin by being out in the sun, (2) Exercise, muscles and bones will only grow stronger if they respond to being used! The calcium gotten from dairy products is not superior or better than calcium gotten from plants. The key to getting the recommend amount of calcium is again, a varied diet. The best source of calcium is found in broccoli. Just 1 cooked cup contains 178 mg. Five medium figs will give you 135 mg of calcium. Other high calcium plant foods include Sesame Seeds, Okra, Arame, Chinese cabbage and Collard Greens.
The human body needs two millions of a gram of B12 each day. Most breads, pastas, crackers, yeast, and cereals are fortified with B12. If a person eats one slice of bread per day, she/he is getting more than an adequate supply of B12. Anyone who is a carbohydrate junkie, as are most teens, is getting more than enough B12.
Vitamin B12 seems to be one of the highest rating excuses that people give for not following a vegetarian diet. However, as you have seen, it is very easy to meet this requirement.
Many teens are stand alone in their dietary choice. Often the entire family consists of meat eaters except for the lone teenager. Many parents accept the choice, and assist the teen with shopping and cooking for a vegetarian or vegan diet. Other parents, however, toss insults and partake in guilt tripping. The important things to remember about your teenager are: (1) She/he is a human being (2) She/he is capable of critical thinking (3) She/he has the right to a healthy lifestyle.
Too often parents are not knowledgeable about the teen's dietary choice. Many parents are also embarrassed where holidays and special family meals are concerned. The teen cannot eat the turkey, the eggnog and all the other dishes and fixings that include animal products. Some parents will try to guilt the teen into eating the animal products by saying things like, "Grandmother will be hurt." Well, it's up to Grandmother, Uncle Pete or Aunt Sally to accept the teen's choice of diet and prepare something that the teen can eat. If not, then let the teen prepare her/his own meal and bring it along to the get together. It's up to Grandmother, Uncle Pete or Aunt Sally to be insulted or hurt; the teen is not responsible for Grandmother's perceptions or interpretations.
Support your vegetarian teen for making a healthy choice. Together, you and your vegetarian or vegan teen can do research, study the literature, surf the web and gather all of the information that you can. You may find yourself eating healthier as a result!
No comments:
Post a Comment